Coral Island (Koh Hay)

Coral Island is the most popular of the group of small islands just south
of Phuket. As its name suggests, it is well known for its shallow coral reefs
and excellent snorkeling.

The island's Thai name is Koh Hay (sometimes written Koh He, Koh Hae,
or other variations). This does not actually translate to Coral Island. It
means crowded island and the name is not totally inaccurate. The island does
receive plenty of day-trip visitors throughout the high season.

However, it is not always crowded and there are quieter spots.

Island Overview

Beaches

Natural Beauty

Development

Tranquility

Diving

Snorkeling

Activities

Coral Island is a 2.5km long, jungle covered, granite island. There are
two nice beaches on the north side of the island facing Phuket and there
is also a small but pleasant little beach on the south side of the island.
There is nothing inland where the vegetation is too dense and the gradients
are too steep to be suited for development or agriculture.

Long Beach

This 800-meter beach is the most popular on the island. It is where
the majority of day-trip boats arrive. There are plenty of deckchairs for
rent on the beach. There is beach volleyball and through the high-season,
there are often jet-skis and parasails. There are several restaurants
and bars. The only overnight accommodation on the island is nestled
into the palm trees at the east end of this beach. The Coral Island
Resort has nice little bungalows close to the beach and its own swimming
pool.

The snorkeling at this beach is not actually the best around the island.
Most of the coral close to shore has been damaged by the constant activity.
However, if you are happy to swim out around 100-meters then you will still
see plenty of coral and colourful fish.

Banana Beach

If you want to avoid the crowds and you are renting your own boat then tell
the driver to take you to Banana Beach. This beach is just to the east of
Long Beach and only about half its length. There is a single restaurant,
clean toilet facilities and a few deckchairs. There is actually a jungle
trail between Long Beach and Banana Beach so you can walk between them. The
trail can be a little tricky so a decent pair of walking shoes is a good
idea.

This beach is generally much quieter than Long Beach. There is good snorkelling
almost immediately offshore. The shallow coral reef is an ideal snorkeling
site for novices and children.

Freedom Beach

If you want to look around the island a little more, you could ask your
boat driver to take you to Freedom Beach on the south side of Coral Island.
This is a small beach with a restaurant and a handful of deckchairs. The
beach is nestled into a bay with steep-rising hills all around. You may see
the odd giant monitor lizard amble out of the vegetation to eat food left
by the restaurant owners.

There is good snorkeling right offshore and as you swim further out you
will see plenty of coral, nice rock formations and sea life.

We have to say the food at this restaurant was unreasonably expensive. Make
sure you check the prices on the menu before ordering anything.

Getting There

There are plenty of tours that visit this island. However, this site does
like to encourage visitors to go out and explore themselves. You can go to
Rawai Beach or Chalong Pier and rent a longtail or speedboat for the 9km
ride. If there is a group of you then it can work out cheaper than booking
a tour and it is a more rewarding experience.

A longtail should cost between 1000 and 1500 baht for the return trip which
takes around 25-minutes each way. A speedboat will cost around 5,000 baht
but is much quicker.

The trip will take you between the large island Koh Lone and the small island
Kon Bon out to Coral Island. Further out to sea you can see the deserted
island of Koh Aeo.

Since Long Beach and Banana Beach both face north, they are shielded from
the worst of the monsoon waves. This means they can still be good snorkeling
locations even during the rainy season. That is not to say they are totally
shielded and on rough days the waves will still be too much. However, there
are plenty of nice days during the rainy season when the sea here will be
calm. The 9km ride out there could still be rather unpleasant at this time
of year so this is still only worth considering on those genuinely nice rainy
season days.

Book your tour to Coral Island through
our tour partners at Easy Day Thailand.

Accommodation

The only accommodation on the island is the simple but very pleasant Coral
Island Resort. It has nice little bungalows nestled into the trees at the
end of Long Beach. It also has its own swimming pool. The beach can be quite
busy during the day but once the day-trippers return to base, it is utterly
tranquil.